Eco News

Why Byrne-Milliron’s Closed for Sustainable Timber Harvest

"Second growth" redwoods standing close at Byrne-Milliron Forest. Credit: Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.

Property will be closed to public access through May 1, 2025 to selectively harvest trees and maintain forest health.

Breaking Ground on the North Coast Rail Trail

View from the old rail passing through agricultural lands on the North Coast. Photo by Bill LeBon, courtesy Friends of the Rail & Trail.

Segment 5 of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network (aka Coastal Rail Trail) will connect Wilder Ranch to the town of Davenport.

Museum of Natural History Explores Cotoni-Coast Dairies

The "Cotoni-Coast Dairies: Monumental Steps" exhibit runs June 7 - August 25, 2024, at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

The original exhibit, “Cotoni-Coast Dairies: Monumental Steps,” looks at the soon-to-be-open National Monument on Santa Cruz County’s North Coast.

Wildlife Crossing to Safety

Land Trust of Santa Cruz County's Bryan Largay points north from the Rocks Ranch property towards Highway 101 hidden beneath the trees down below. Photo by Mike Kahn.

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County helps mountain lions, badgers and other critters who risk death on highways that bisect their habitats.

Inaugural Santa Cruz County Wildfire Resilience Summit - June 6, 2024

Looking out at regrowth in Big Basin Redwoods State Park after the CZU Fire. Photo © Mike Kahn.

Learn about wildfire resilience projects and resources for landowners at the inaugural Santa Cruz County Wildfire Resilience Summit.

May is Peak Tick Season and Lyme Disease Awareness Month

The western black-legged tick is the only tick in California that transmits the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Photo courtesy Center for Disease Control.

Almost a half-million people per year contract the crippling ailment known as Lyme disease from tick bites. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself.

Land Trust of Santa Cruz County Protects Habitat for Rare and Endangered Santa Cruz Long-toed Salamander

Our friend the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander. Credit: Robin Gwen Agarwal (CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County acquired 14 acres of core habitat critical to the recovery of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander.

Fossil Sloth Bone Found in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the First of Its Kind Report in This County

Ice Age Sloth Skeletal Art, Credit: Mason Schratter. Courtesy of Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Local students find Jefferson’s ground sloth fossil in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the first fossil evidence for this species reported in county history.

Natural History & Community Building in Santa Cruz

Undergrad Nefret Allen-Cantu and their “Pollinators and People” poster table. Photo by Bridget Lyons.

At the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History’s symposium in the UCSC Hay Barn, our writer made some friends and discovered some fun facts.

New Big Basin Redwoods State Park Plan Incorporates Public Input

Exploring the Redwood Loop Trail, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Credit: Mike Kahn.

Following the devastation of the CZU Fire, you have an opportunity to join the historic process of shaping the future of the oldest State Park in California.

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